on tour with a Scottish fast food fanatic…

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West Side Sob Story

As a tough talking, Yankee supporting, kick-ass hardened New Yorker how do I approach the opening of this closet door?

Well here goes…..

I – like – romantic comedy!!!

In fact I think Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan should be married, I think Maid in Manhattan should be compulsory A-Level study and Sandra Bullock should be given an Oscar for her stunning portrayal of Gracie Hart in Miss Congeniality. For heaven’s sake she even pulled it off in the sequel!

There, it’s out, and we can get on with the blog.

Having pushed aside my guilty secret I can now declare that I think the film ‘You’ve Got Mail’ featuring the incomparable Tom Hanks and the enchanting Meg Ryan (that Parkinson guy is a bully – so there!) is one of the most underrated movies of the last fifteen years. So much so that, under pressure to do a movie tour of New York, it was my number one choice. It also happens to be set in a very pleasant part of New York not too far from my doorstep.

It’s ok food fans – there’s eating involved!

Now there are a number of locations in this silver screen gem that have gained iconic status including the very romantic Riverside Park where they finally get together in the end (against all odds and you’re never quite sure if it will happen even after the eighth viewing).

That’s not them. This couple just stood in the way of my shot of the final kiss, and when their battered and bleeding bodies are found nearby the NYPD will now know why! 😉

Just up from this spot is Meg Ryan’s house where I imagine she must have been sitting inside still worrying about her little Shop Around the Corner.

This is where I obtained a delicious slice of New York Cheesecake (with a biscuit base) and is also the location of an uncomfortable and squishy moment in the film featuring Tom and Meg.

Interesting because the purchase of two slices of cheesecake from http://cafelalo.com was both squishy (deliciously so) and uncomfortable ($18!!). Best I have had so far though and I got to walk up the same steps as Tom 😀 .

I didn’t eat this until later of course. I had to take it out as the place was packed.

Next on the movie trail was http://www.zabars.com/ and I cannot praise this gourmet supermarket enough. Another uncomfortable moment for poor Meg in the film but I felt perfectly comfortable amongst the grub in here. Cheese of every kind, freshly baked bread, cooked meats and meals I was able to take away for my dinner (still no cooker in the flat – microwaved this!)

Got myself a curry for tomorrow!

On the way back I passed a familiar shop also featured near the end of the film and already pictured in a previous blog entry from another angle. Taken this time from the exact spot Bruce Willis received a call from Simple Simon in ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance’.

No phone there! How do these movie guys do it?

Had lunch here

With juice for $4.50. How do these Gray’s Papaya guys do it?!

I then headed homeward past Leonard Bernstein’s setting for West Side Story but didn’t take a picture because I was so distracted. I felt as light as air with my head full of romance.

Suddenly I had an epiphany!

I can’t be known only for my love of romantic comedy. I’m not a girl!

I stopped and haggled (like a man) with a street seller for these boyish items

$10 for all five!

I saw a really great T-Shirt that any real bloke would be proud to wear…

You’ve Got Mail is the greatest romantic comedy of the 1990s and it gets better with multiple viewings.
I don’t care what the film elitists say. There is an incredible warmth to this film: from Tom and Meg,the care-free soundtrack and the richly beautiful New York cinematography. In a world where book stores and AOL are nearly extinct, this film proves to be incredibly timeless.